The secret to writing a great job advertisement is to describe the position in detail, and to target your audience to match your ideal candidate. Once the posting is out there, however, you’ll be competing for candidates' attention. Posting to the right jobs board and using social media to your advantage will definitely help. But making sure that your posting conveys the energy, spirit, and character of your company is critical. If you believe you’re a great place to work, let your candidates know when advertising a job opening!

Steps

Part 1

Describing the Position

1

Come up with a catchy job title. Just another posting seeking a “mid-level operations manager,” for instance, might not stand out among similar job postings. Instead, you could advertise for a “Head of Ops bursting with experience” or a “Master Manager ready to lead a killer crew of 20.” This will get the attention of potential applicants![1]

Make sure to use job titles that fit your company and the position. If fun and catchy titles don’t seem appropriate, just use a simple and direct one.

2

Help readers mentally check off your expectations. Be specific about the job’s expected duties. You want someone reading your posting to quickly think either “Ooh, I’m not qualified for that” or “Hey, that sounds like me!”[2]

For instance, you might write something like “We’re seeking a manager with at least 10 years of experience in commercial real estate. If you’ve mastered the art of leasing a variety of spaces (including retail and office buildings), and you’ve directed junior agents, you’re just what we’re looking for.”

That way, if someone reading this doesn’t have the amount of experience you’re looking for, they can quickly tell the job’s not for them. That way, you won’t have to sift through ineligible resumes.

3

Distinguish your “must haves” from your “would be nice to haves.” If you have some parts of the job that you’re flexible on, let your readers know. That way, you won’t exclude candidates who could potentially be a great fit. Just use careful language to make this clear. For instance:[3]

Say your company needs someone with experience in leasing and managing others, but ideally would also like to also like someone with sales experience, too.

Write: “If you’re what we’re looking for, you’ll have at least 10 years experience in real estate leasing, and you’ll have previously directed a team of junior agents. If you also have experience in real estate sales, that’s a plus.”

That way, a candidate who doesn’t have sales experience but is otherwise perfect may still consider applying.

4

Tell candidates about the company. It’s a good idea to put a short description of your company near the end of your job posting. This gives applicants a sense of whether or not your company is a place they’d like to be. It also is an opportunity to boast about what makes your company special.[4]

For instance, you could write something like “Aberswyth Realty is the largest local real estate firm in the greater Baltimore area. We’ve been here since 1938, and care about building strong relationships with both internal and external clients. In the past 10 years, our portfolio has grown 20%, and we’re excited to seek candidates ready to join us as we continue to expand.”

5

Avoid highly personal, derogatory, or discriminatory language. Many readers would find it offensive for a job advertisement to directly ask for specific personal characteristics. For instance, it's not a good idea for a job advertisement to say things like "We're looking for a perky receptionist to brighten up our company's day." In most cases, it is also illegal for a job advertisement to specifically seek or exclude people of a certain age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.

Focus on mentioning specific job expectations, skills, and requirements, not personal characteristics: "If you've got a strong work ethic and excellent customer service skills, you could be perfect for our receptionist position."

Part 2

Attracting Great Candidates

1

Target your search. Many recruiters want to cast a wide net, assuming this will give them the best chance of finding a great candidate. Instead, start by thinking about what qualities your perfect candidate would have. This will save you the time of having to weed through applications submitted by people who aren’t a good fit. Ask yourself:[5]

What kind of education and experience would my perfect candidate have?

What particular skills or knowledge base should they have?

How would our perfect candidate help fulfill a need that currently isn’t being addressed?

How do I see this person fitting into our current team?

2

Use personal language. Writing abstractly about “ideal candidates” and “applicants for this job” can be off-putting. Instead, write in personal, “you” terms so that potential applicants feel like you’re reaching out to them.[6]

For instance, instead of saying “Applicants for this position will be familiar with current web design languages and programs,” try something like “What we’re looking for: you can write HTML and XML in your sleep. You’ve mastered CSS. You’ve got opinions about the next big thing in UX.”

3

List a few unique perks of the job. Many recruiters think that the little things are what really help candidates decide to apply for one job over the other. In addition to describing the basic job duties, mention some things about what makes your company fun, exciting, or unique. For example:[7]

”Join our company, and you’ll also get access to biweekly personal yoga classes on site.”

”We work hard, but like to have fun, too. From catered lunches every Tuesday, to Thursday happy hours, we’ve got that covered.”

”We hire great people, and want to keep training them. Our employees are eligible for free continuing education classes after 6 months on the job.”

4

Include a salary range, if possible. Not all recruiters are permitted to include salary information in a job posting. Others don’t want to until they get a sense of the applicant pool. But, if you can include a salary range, your posting will be more intriguing to applicants. This is especially the case if your salary range is at or above the average range for similar positions. If you pay well, let applicants know! [8]

5

Ask for a cover letter in addition to a resume. This is yet another way to whittle the number of applicants down. Only applicants who are truly interested in the job will take the time to write out a cover letter. These letters also give you some more insight into what applicants are like, so you can easily eliminate some before the interview stage.[9]

6

Make sure to close the posting with your contact information. You can identify a specific person who readers can contact for more information about the position or applying. If you give a phone number rather than an email, you’ll be more likely to hear only from truly interested candidates.[10]

Part 3

Spreading the Word

1

List job openings on your website. Posting job ads on your website has two basic benefits. First, people who find the posting on your site are already interested in your company. Second, if you include a link to your company’s site when posting the job ad elsewhere, you let readers know where to go to find out more about your company.[11]

2

Choose a job posting platform. There are a number of well-known jobs boards, like Indeed, Monster, and Ladders, that can be a great way to get the word out about your position. Each has particular advantages and disadvantages. For instance:[12]

More people use Indeed than other platforms, but Monster currently has a larger database of resumes to search.

Some (like Monster) charge an access fee. Others (like Indeed) are free to post, but charge incrementally for each applicant who clicks on your posting. Still others (like Craigslist) are entirely free.

Some platforms have a particular focus. For instance, jobs posted on Ladders are intended to be beyond entry level, and must have salaries above a certain level.

3

Advertise the job on social media. Services like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are great for spreading news about job postings, especially for targeted searches. There are lots of ways to use social media to your benefit.[13]

Share a link to the job posting on your company’s social media accounts.

Have followers to repost the link, which will spread the word even further. Using fun language (“Are you the next great Content Marketing guru? We’re looking for you!”) can encourage them to share it.

Use LinkedIn to share a job posting with your network, which can quickly turn up great candidates.

Have your social media point person create a custom Facebook tab on your company’s account page, just for job openings.

If there are specific candidates in your network that you would like to see apply for the job, PM/DM the posting directly to them!

4

Use traditional venues. Newspapers and flyers are still useful ways of advertising job openings, especially for general positions. You could also try:

Using radio and television advertisements.

Visiting or hosting a job fair.

Advertising in trade journals or newsletters, if your area of business uses them.

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